Review and photos by Derek Mau

Settling for second place has never been Porsche’s mind set. Porsche has a long list of podium finishes on and off of the racing circuit. In 1948 Porsche scored a first place finish at Innsbruck Stadtrennen with the 356, the first sports car to bear the Porsche name, only one month after it was road certified. Fast forward to 1984 for another notable first - Porsche, with the 911 Carrera 4×4, marks its first victory in the Paris–Dakar Rally. At Porsche safety is just as important as winning races. Porsche becomes the first car maker in Germany to equip all production models with an airbag for driver and front passenger as standard equipment. Now it seems that Porsche has taken the gold again in the form of a limited edition GT Silver Metallic Boxster, the RS 60 Spyder.

I was given the opportunity to test drive the RS 60 Spyder at the home of Porsche’s Sport Driving School (PSDS), Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. In my opinion, the race track is the best place to put the RS 60 through its paces without scaring the natives on public roads. As an added bonus, I had legendary racer and lead PSDS instructor, Hurley Haywood, show me the race line at Barber Motorsports Park.

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HERNDON, Va.—Volkswagen of America, Inc. today announced that buyers of the Jetta TDI sedan and SportWagen are eligible for a $1,300 Federal Income Tax Credit. The Internal Revenue Service has issued a certification letter affirming that the vehicles qualify for the Advanced Lean Burn Technology Motor Vehicle income tax credit.

“The $1,300 tax credit provides an even greater value to the upcoming Jetta TDI sedan and SportWagen,” said Mark Barnes, COO, Volkswagen of America, Inc. “Our clean diesel vehicles offer consumers the fuel efficiency that they’re looking for while providing power, utility, performance, safety and excellent value.”
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Linda Brennan of Montpelier, Vt. Wins Ultimate Fan Prize: Boston Red Sox Special Edition Volvo C30

Red Sox Foundation and Volvo team up in charity raffle, raising $1.4 million

IRVINE, Calif. (July 29, 2008) - Linda Brennan, Boston Red Sox Foundation and Volvo Cars of North America raffle winner, now owns the ultimate 2007 World Series Championship collectible: The Boston Red Sox Special Edition Volvo C30.

Volvo and the Red Sox Foundation hosted the raffle to raise money for children and families in need across New England. Brennan took home the C30 during Saturday’s Red Sox versus Yankees game at Fenway Park.
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By Alex Kramer

Pros:

• Excellent ride quality
• Snappy new exterior style
• Upscale interior design
• Spacious front seats

Cons:

• Tepid acceleration
• Hefty 3800 lb curb weight
• Less than hybrid worthy fuel efficiency
• Marginal rear legroom and smallish trunk

2008 has been a tough year for American auto manufacturers. Faced with high gas prices and strong competition from overseas, sales have plummeted, especially in the traditionally lucrative light truck and SUV segment. Much like in the 1970’s, the pain at the pump has driven consumers to smaller, more efficient models, many of which are made in Japan. Although the Big Three already have some fuel efficient compacts and hybrids for sale, or in the works, is it too late to convince the American consumer that Honda and Toyota aren’t the only ones meeting the MPG challenge?
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By Kirk Bell

Pros and Cons

• Lots of features for the dollar
• Powerful engines
• Luxurious interior
• Capable handling
• Plenty of front and rear seat room

• No split folding rear seat
• No steering wheel paddles
• Limited seat adjustments
• Ride can be bouncy
• Pricey for a Hyundai

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The very first Plug-In Conference was held in San Jose, Calif. (7/22/2008 - 7/24/2008), to showcase the latest technological advances, market research, and policy initiatives shaping the future of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). The three day conference brings together automotive manufacturers, component suppliers, electric utilities, government agencies, universities, and the environmental community to address the most current technical research surrounding PHEVs, the impact of current policies and regulation, and clean-tech entrepreneurs’ ideas to enhance and expand the PHEV market.

PHEVs offer one of the most promising near-term strategies for substantially reducing transportation-related greenhouse emissions and our dependency upon fossil fuels for transportation purposes. PHEVs are hybrids with a much larger battery pack that can be plugged into a 120-volt outlet allowing them to travel greater distances solely on electric power.

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We visited the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum located on the grounds of Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. For anyone remotely interested in motorcycle history and Lotus race cars, the Barber Vintage Museum hosts one of the largest motorcycle collections in the world. George Barber (no relation to Skip Barber) has collected almost 1,400 motorcycles and has the largest collection of Lotus race cars in the world. The building itself is a 80,000 square foot modern steel, concrete, and glass structure that contains five floors of over 500 motorbikes and Lotus race cars on display. The facility also has a complete metal workshop and restoration capabilities so that almost anything can be fabricated and restored to mint condition.

The collection now has over 1,300 vintage and modern motorcycles and as well as a substantial collection of Lotus and other race cars. It is considered the largest collection in North American. There are approximately five hundred motorcycles on display at any given time. These bikes range from 1904 to current-year production. There are bikes from 16 countries that represent 143 different marques. The common street bike is represented, as well as rare one-off Gran Prix race machinery. Bikes have been purchased from as far away as Australia, New Zealand, and Sweden, but also as close as down the street.

(picture slideshow of my museum tour at then bottom of the article)

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By R. Myint

Pros

• Handling
• Power
• Styling

Cons

• Cargo Capacity
• Lack of rear hitch
• Fuel mileage

Recipe for adventure:

Take 3 adults 3 bikes, and 3 days of mountain biking in Downieville, California. Add biking gear, camping gear and 2 full coolers. Place all items in the Ultimate Driving Machine, the BMW X5, and shake well. Cook the X5 over miles of freeway and twisty mountain roads for 6 hours and enjoy. Repeat as necessary for a fulfilling sensation that is tasty as a warm chocolate chip cookie fresh from the oven.
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Review and photos by Gary Chan

Pros

• Handling prowess
• Smooth power delivery
• Utility (63-cubic feet of useful space!)

Cons

• Front performance seat hard to dial in
• Notchy shifter with high effort
• Limited rear visibility

Introduction
Over the past two years, there were two cars that I read about in the car magazines that I eagerly awaited; neither was exotic or expensive, but hopped-up versions of cars you’d see every day commuting to work. More specifically, the MAZDA3 and Chevy HHR. I’ve driven the Mazdaspeed3 and now I had the chance to drive the Chevy HHR SS. I was not disappointed.
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The exclusive high-performance coupé for the discerning motorist

Mercedes-Benz unleashes their SL 65 Black Series that turns out an eye-popping 670 hp and 737 lb-ft of torque from a 6 liter V12 twin turbocharged motor. Only 200 units are designated for U.S. shores, so get in line now. Don’t forget to bring your checkbook. The price tag for the SL 65 Black Series is $320,000.

Equally impressive is the SL 65’s power-to-weight ratio of 6.17 lb/hp. Similar in performance, but can be had for less than $300k, is the Ferrari 599 GTB Fioranio with a power-to-weight ration of 6.00 lb/hp. If you like numbers, the 599 GTB Fiorano cranks out 620 hp and 448 lb-ft of torque from a normally aspirated 6 liter V12. The Ferrari 599 seems like a bargain at $270,000. Does it become a question of which one to choose or do the two marquees attract their own loyal fellowship?

Following is the official press release and more photos of the SL 65 from Mercedes-Benz:
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